The two enormous eyes opened behind Rian.
The battlefield went silent.
Aeron stared at the darkness.
Rian's expression changed.
"Get away from me."
Aeron shook his head.
"Not without you."
Rian suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"You don't understand!"
BOOOOOOM!
The ground exploded beneath them.
Aeron and Rian were thrown in opposite directions.
"RIAN!"
Aeron landed hard.
Before he could stand, an Ancient Court warrior charged.
CLANG!
Kael blocked the attack.
"Move!"
Kael kicked the soldier away and pulled Aeron up.
"Something is coming."
Another explosion shook the palace.
KRAAAASH!
A gigantic claw smashed through the ruins.
The Ancient Court soldiers began retreating.
For the first time, they looked afraid.
Aeron noticed.
"They're scared of their own creation."
Kael nodded.
"Then we make it their problem."
Aeron looked toward Rian.
Rian was surrounded by black chains.
"I'm going after him."
Kael grabbed his arm.
"Wait."
Aeron pulled free.
"That's my brother."
He charged.
Five soldiers attacked.
CLANG!
Aeron blocked the first.
SLASH!
The second fell.
He ducked beneath another sword.
CRASH!
His elbow struck the soldier's face.
Blood splashed across the stone.
A fourth attacked from behind.
Aeron's dragon landed between them.
ROOOOAR!
Its claws ripped through the soldier's armor.
The fifth tried to escape.
Aeron threw his sword.
THUD!
The soldier collapsed.
Aeron caught his sword as it returned.
He kept running.
Rian saw him coming.
"STOP!"
Aeron reached him.
"I'm getting you out."
Rian shook his head.
"You can't."
"Watch me."
Aeron grabbed the first chain.
It burned his hand.
Blood immediately appeared.
He didn't let go.
Rian stared.
"Why are you doing this?"
Aeron looked at him.
"Because you're my brother."
CRACK!
The chain broke.
Rian's eyes widened.
Another chain wrapped around Aeron's arm.
CRACK!
His skin split.
Aeron gritted his teeth.
His dragon roared.
Golden energy flowed through Aeron's body.
The chain shattered.
Then
BOOOOOOM!
The palace exploded.
A massive creature finally emerged.
Its body was enormous, covered in dark scales and ancient scars.
But it wasn't attacking.
It was looking directly at Rian.
Rian went pale.
"No…"
Aeron stood beside him.
"You know that thing?"
Rian whispered,
"It was beneath the Court when they brought me here."
Aeron looked at him.
"What is it?"
Rian shook his head.
"I don't know."
The creature opened its mouth.
A deep voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Where… is the Warrior?"
Every soldier dropped to their knees.
Aeron's dragon suddenly growled.
Aeron looked at Rian.
"Which Warrior?"
The creature's enormous eyes moved toward him.
"You."
Aeron froze.
The creature lowered its head.
The entire battlefield trembled.
"You have returned."
Aeron raised his sword.
"I've never seen you before."
The creature stared at him.
Then it laughed.
The sound shook the mountains.
"Your memories say otherwise."
Aeron's mark suddenly burned.
A vision flashed through his mind.
A massive battlefield.
A younger Aeron.
Rian beside him.
Their mother standing behind them.
And this same creature kneeling before Aeron.
The vision vanished.
Aeron staggered.
"No…"
Rian grabbed him.
"What did you see?"
Aeron looked at him.
"We were here."
Rian's face went pale.
Before either could speak
BOOOOM!
The creature suddenly attacked.
Its tail smashed through the Ancient Court walls.
Thousands of soldiers were thrown into the air.
Dragons scattered.
Kael shouted,
"EVERYONE MOVE!"
Aeron grabbed Rian.
"Run!"
They sprinted through the collapsing battlefield.
Behind them, the creature tore through the Court's defenses.
The Ancient Court army was now fighting for survival.
Then a horn sounded from the palace.
A deep voice echoed across the ruins:
"Release the red dragons."
The palace doors opened.
Hundreds of chained dragons emerged.
Their eyes glowed red.
Aeron stopped.
"They're using the dragons too."
Kael raised his sword.
"Then this isn't a rescue anymore."
Aeron looked at the army.
Then at the dragons.
Then at Rian.
His expression hardened.
"It's a war."
His dragon spread its wings.
ROOOOOAR!
Hundreds of dragons answered.
The Ancient Court had lost control of the battlefield.
And above the burning palace…
a mysterious figure watched Aeron.
He slowly removed his hood.
Aeron looked up.
The man had the same golden eyes as Aeron's mother.
He smiled.
"Let the brothers fight."
TO BE CONTINUED…